Patricia Wilcox: Matchmaker
by Fleet Sparrow
Summary: Everyone has their job on the island. This was hers.
1. New Job

Please be kind. This is my very first fan-fiction. I hope you like it. And, by the way, Claire has _not_ had her baby yet and Boone is _not_ dead here. Thanks.

* * *

Sitting in her little make-shift hut, a woman wrote down her observations of the island life. Everyone had so many love-triangles and circles, it was hard to keep track any more. Kate was toying with both Sawyer's and Jack's emotions, but couldn't really talk to anyone about this dilemma. Shannon was fascinated by Sayid while Boone contemplated over his murder. Claire was in desperate need of advise about her relationship with Charlie. Sun was rather sweet towards Michael, but had an overpowering husband. Patricia Wilcox knew just what to do.

Back at home she had been a psychologist. Her friends used her as a wall or their soapbox. She knew how to deal with this. Everyone had their job on the island. Hers would be match-maker. She had always had a knack for picking probable couples and she was usually right. So, she turned her little tarp-covered hut into an "office." Her advertizer, Hurley, did beautifully and, soon, she had her first customer.

Kate walked into Patty's "office." Patty was lounging, as it were, on a make-shift bed, her blond hair pulled up into a neat bun. 'Why did she bother?' thought Kate, but she didn't say anything.

"Sit down," Patty said, sitting up herself, "So, what's wrong?"

"Well," Kate began, "I have this problem. I like this one guy and he seems _so_ perfect. He's sweet, kind, gentle--"

"Jack," Patty said, knowing already who Kate meant, and writing this down on her little notebook.

"And then there's the other one," Kate said, as though Patty hadn't said anything, "And he is _wonderful_!"

"Sawyer," Patty said, making another note.

"He's a smart ass, he's definitely hot, and he's the bad boy," she said, as if that made her argument that much stronger, "But I don't know which one to choose."

"Well, which one do you like the most?" Patty asked.

"That's just it. I like them both about the same."

"Well, first tell me how you feel about each of them."

So Kate began telling Patty all about them. How she and Sawyer had found the waterfall and the case. How she and Jack had opened the case. What Jack knew about her. What she felt in that little kiss between herself and Sawyer. Everything about them. More than she meant to tell anyone, even them.

"Well," Patty said after Kate was finished, "Why don't you use a bit of reverse psychology?"

"What?"

"Tell one of them that you have decided on the other and see how they take it."

"I won't tell Sawyer, or he might kill Jack," Kate said, "Jack will be understanding."

"No," Patty said upon hearing this, "Tell Sawyer. That way his reaction is less predictable. He may just start being more reserved. Or he may attack Jack..."

"Thank you," Kate said, an idea forming in her head, "I've got an idea. Thank you. Wait, what do you want as payment?"

"Have you got a hair scrunchie?" Patty asked, "I need a new one."

Kate laughed. "Yeah, here," she said, taking hers off of her wrist, "I don't need it."

"Thank you. And good luck," Patty said earnestly.

"Thank you," Kate said, "For everything." She headed off to find Sawyer.

Thus began the ever important role of Patricia Wilcox: match-maker.


	2. Shannon's Loves

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Patty. At least, I think I own Patty. Yeah, yeah, I own Patty.  
Note: This would take place after my other fan-fiction I'm writing, but I haven't had enough time to writeit, so it will be somewhat of a prequel unless I get requests to continue it. (Not this one, the other one.)

* * *

Patty was in business. Many people had come to her about relationship problems or questions. Today, it was Shannon. She walked in shyly, looking behind her as if she was worried about being followed.

"Good morning," Patty said cheerfully, indicating that Shannon should take a seat, "What's the matter?"

"Thanks," she muttered, "OK. My problem is that I think I'm falling in love with Sayid. But my brother, Boone, is jealous."

"Jealous?" she asked, eyes raised and making a note, "Or over-protective?"

"Jealous," Shannon replied, "You see, Boone isn't my real brother. He's my step-brother and he seems to like me. We kind of, um..."

"Had an affair?" Patty asked.

"Exactly," she said, "And, now he thinks that Sayid will hurt me or something. He's even threatened to kill him."

"Well," Patty said, "Tell me a little more about everything." And, just like Kate, Shannon began.

She told about her's and Boone's childhood, their affair. She told Patty about the way she and Sayid were madly in love. She told about Boone telling her to stay away from him or else he'd kill Sayid. How he told Sayid to stay away from her. Everything she, too, hadn't meant to tell anyone, but slipped out anyway. When Shannon had finished, Patty had come up with a solution.

"Why don't you tell Boone that you would prefer to keep your relationship as strictly brother and sister, that you don't want his molly-coddling any more and how you feel about Sayid," she said matter-of-factly.

"Do you think that will work?" Shannon asked, afraid of what might happen to Sayid or herself if she told Boone.

"Of course," Patty replied, "I think your brother will understand."

"Thank you," she gushed, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome."

"Do you want anything as payment?" Shannon asked.

"Do you have an extra skirt?" Patty asked, "I haven't found much of my stuff yet."

"Yeah," Shannon replied, "I'm sure I've got one somewhere. Thank you again."

"You're welcome," Patty replied as Shannon left to find Boone. Yet another person she helped and another to be helped tomorrow.


	3. Cause and Effect

I'm _soooo_ sorryI took so long with this chapter, but I was swamped with homework, and then I was sick, and then . . . you get the idea. I really don't like this chapter. Don't tell me that it's horrible, because I already know it is. My Muse took summer vacation early. The next chapter should be better,I hope, and will be updated sooner. Thanks.

* * *

Sawyer sat in his tent, bored as usual. He hadn't seen Kate in a while and that worried him. _"Probably off with Jackass,"_ he thought, feeling slightly hurt at the idea. Just then, Kate walked up to him. 

She had thought a lot about what Patty had said and decided to act upon it. She came up to Sawyer and spoke before he could. It would be easier that way.

"Sawyer," she began. "I'm going to be moving up to the caves with Jack."

Sawyer just sat there in shock for a moment, his brain working hard to attempt to grasp this. "You're moving in with . . . **_him_**!"

"Yes Sawyer. I'm sorry," she said. She hadn't realized how much it would hurt him, but now she saw. The impact of her words was devastating to him.

He went from hurt to furious. "Well," he said, "I hope you and Doc have a wonderful time." His temper had shot up like the bullet he was longing to put into Jack. Especially after this information.

Kate looked at him. "Sawyer?" she asked, bending down to him. "If I told you I was lying about moving, what would you do?"

"Are you?" he asked, his temper subsiding a little.

"Yes," she said. "I'm not moving in with Jack."

Sawyer stared at her for a moment, watching to see if she was lying. Then he put his arms around her and kissed her.

Kate knew who she was supposed to be with now. Sawyer was the only one for her. Jack could never understand her the way he did. Of course, Jack doesn't know that.

As Patty watched them from her tent she smiled, thinking that was a job well done. Until Jack showed up anyway.

"Uh-oh," she muttered and quickly got up to talk to Jack.

"Jack," she called. "How are you?"

Jack stopped at hearing the small blond call his name. "Oh, fine," he lied. "Have you seen Kate?"

"No," she said, her eyes darting to Sawyer's tent where Kate was currently . . . expressing her love of Sawyer. _"Thank God his back is turned to them,"_ she thought.

"Oh. Well, if you see her, tell her I want to talk to her, OK?" he asked.

"All right," she said. She watched him as he left, glad he never saw Kate and Sawyer. She needed to talk to them.

"Are you two done yet?" she asked, walking up to them. Her voice seemed to jolt them back into the real world. They looked at her as though they were teenagers caught making out by a parent.

"Um . . . yeah, I . . . um . . . ." Kate tried to say. She looked up at Sawyer. "Is something wrong Sawyer?"

He was staring at Patty. He knew who everyone on the beach was, so why had he never seen her until now. "Patty?" he whispered.

She smiled innocently. "I'll leave you two alone," she said, meaning, _"I'll let you explain that one, James."_

"Oh, and, Kate?" she called, as she walked away. "Jack wants to talk to you. He's at the caves."

"Thanks," she said, as Patty went back to her tent. "Sawyer? Why were you looking at her like that?"

And for once in his life, Sawyer could not find a way out of a question.


End file.
